Historical fiction is still one of my favorite genres, and Princess Kandake is a real treat. Stephanie Jefferson has created a strong teen female lead and set her within ancient Nubia. Kandake knows exactly what she wants, and she’s determined to go after it. Then life throws her a curve. How can she meet her obligations and […]
Son (The Giver, book four), by Lois Lowry, 2012, Book Review
This year I read (in some cases, reread) through The Giver trilogy. Patricia Tilton, of Children’s Books Heal, read one of my reviews and decided to take on the trilogy herself. She discovered that Ms. Lowry had just published a fourth book this year. I located it right away. Thanks for the heads up, Pat! Son […]
The Impossible Journey, by Gloria Whelan, 2003
“Comrade Sergei Kirov was killed on the first day of December. That same night my parents disappeared.” It is 1934 and Kirov was the man competing with Joseph Stalin for control of Russia’s Communist Party. Stalin wanted no competition. So Kirov was conveniently assassinated, and in the name of justice hundreds, perhaps thousands of arrests […]
Child of the Mountains, by Marilyn Sue Shank, 2012, Book Review
I loved this book. I sank into it immediately, like an overstuffed couch, and only came out for chores. It’s a beautiful, gentle story of strength despite injustice with a good dose of picturesque Appalachian culture. A wonderful combination. Eleven-year-old Lydia finds herself unexpectedly living with her Aunt Ethel Mae and Uncle William after a […]
Peter and the Secret of Rundoon (Starcatchers Series), Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, 2007, Book Review
Peter’s back. So is George, Molly, the Lost Boys, and the Evil Lord Ombra. Thought he was destroyed at the conclusion of book two? I thought so too. But he regathers his strength and returns to Rundoon where the forces of darkness have come up with the most farfetched plan yet: capture Peter, use his […]
Eligere (Seranfyll, book two), by Christina Daley, 2012, Book Review – Bargain eBooks
Christina Daley’s second book in her Seranfyll series is well worth reading. I think I liked book one just a touch better, with its unexpected magic and the delightfully eccentric character of Domrey (read my review of Seranfyll), but this is a solid second installment. Domrey and his adoptive sisters and brother, Rain, Snow and […]
Thirteen Treasures, by Michelle Harrison, 2010, Book Review
Tanya can see fairies. Unfortunately, she can’t explain away the odd things that always seem happen to her because no one else can see them. So Tanya ends up holding the blame each time they cause mischief. And now her mother has had enough. Tanya is being sent on an extended visit to her grandmother’s […]
Found (The Missing: Book One), by Margaret Peterson Haddix, 2008, Book Review
This book was recommended to me with little explanation, and I expected it to be just another run-of-the-mill, edgy adventure story, with a little too much language and content a little too old to comfortably call it a tween book. Wrong! Found is much more than I bargained for. It’s a fantastic, clean page-turner entirely suitable for […]
Tango: The Tale of an Island Dog, by Eileen Beha, 2009, Book Review
Tango: The Tale of an Island Dog is a cute story that will appeal to dog lovers. Tango is a Yorkshire terrier accustomed to the good life. But when he’s swept off his yacht and washed ashore on Prince Edward Island, he finds himself in need of a friend. Fortunately, he finds lots of them. Miss […]